The power of LinkedIn

Think LinkedIn is pointless? Think again.

Since using LinkedIn I have always envied those “God” users with their 2000+ connections.

So I started thinking about ways I could increase my network connections and increase my status on Linkedin.

The Plan

Release a profile update that captures the imagination of my existing network

Desired Outcome

Global sharing of my update to boost the visibility of my profile and boost connections

All I did is ask my self one question:

Why would people want to like or comment on my update?

1 – They sympathise with my cause

2 – It shows the power and benefits of social media

3 – There is something in it for them

4 – Someone else is losing / gaining something out of it

The Update

In a nutshell I tried to think of an update that would capture the community spirit and helpful nature of my LinkedIn network.

The results were far better than I expected…..

What happened?

Within days I had over 17,000 likes and 4000 comments on my post. Many of the comments were from people around the world on every continent.

Many of the comments wanted to split the profits from my so called “bet with my colleague”, many wanted the proceeds to go to charity but overall the comments were very positive as to the benefits of using social media to connect with similar minded individuals.

Of course the bet was completely made up and a lot of my connections realised that. What amazed me was the speed at which my post spread.

After thinking about this for a while it made me realise that the world really is connected right now like never before. The things we post should be carefully thought about as they have the potential to be seen by almost anyone.

I have managed to build connections with people from all around the world. Some useful, some interesting and some even profitable!